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Perhaps you are saying to yourself, "I've heard this before. I know I should be marketing my business more, but I can't seem to get started." So here are 10 simple ways to create referrals:

1. Tell 6 to 10 people about your business each week. Don't leave your office without your business cards and your 30 second answer to the question--What do you do?

2. Project a consistent image of your company in all promotional materials--business card, letterhead, postcards, website, newsletter, advertisements.

3. Be client driven: Meet their needs. The # one way to find out what clients want is to ask and then listen. Respond by acknowledging their request and developing a solution. Then deliver consistently and on time.

4 Be welcoming and willing to answer questions or concerns. On voicemail, leave an informative message and let clients know when they can reach you and when you'll get back to them; then, follow through. Good first impressions are crucial.

5. Consider a double-sided business card. Put a menu of services and products on the flipside. It serves as a mini brochure.

6. Keep a calendar of your marketing activities for each month. Revise your calendar according to what type of marketing activities work the best for your business. Add more of the activities that work and drop the ones that don't.

7. Join and participate actively in your local Chamber of Commerce and appropriate professional organizations and community groups. Remember people do business with people they know and like.

8. Practice the art of conversation--listening and sharing and getting to know more about your customer or potential client. Conversation is a give and take like a dance. Be friendly, humorous, engaging and not just focused on doing business. People will appreciate you and your interest in them.

9. Walk your talk. How can you advise people to do what you yourself are not doing? Do what you say you will do.

10. Set aside time every day to do one marketing activity--even if it's a 5 minute telephone call. This will constantly feed the pipeline. People can't do business with you if they don't know who you are or what you have to offer.

11. Add to this list. Choose just one idea and use it consistently for a month. Watch your business grow!

Secret # 1 to successful marketing is to choose a set of simple and effective marketing activities that match your strategic plan and do them consistently.

Secret # 2 is to choose those activities that best fit your target market(s) rather than what is easy for you to do. Remember, the most carefully detailed marketing plan won't work unless you make it real by putting it into action.

Put Your Passion and Power to Work!

Susan Urquhart-Brown, Success Coach

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1.      Because 80% of business comes from 20% of your customers, keep in touch with that 20% as often as possible. Do what you promise and more than expected when possible. Nurture that 20%. These are your loyal customers and “sales force” because they send you qualified referrals—their friends and colleagues. Follow up with all referrals and don’t forget to thank the customers, friends and colleagues who gave you referrals. Also, a key strategy is to refer a client you can’t help to another business owner who can. This is a  Win-Win-Win strategy.  It costs nothing but pays handsomely in good will and future business. Remember: it’s not about you, it’s always about solving your customer’s problem.

2.      It is much easier to keep a customer than to generate a new one. As a health and wellness business owner, you need to make sure your customers feel served and they can count on you to deliver. This is why it is critical to handle a dissatisfied customer diplomatically and solve their problem effectively and quickly. Dissatisfied customers tell more people about their experiences, so turn a dissatisfied customer into a loyal customer who is happy to refer you. Being in business means working with all types of people, and successful business people are those who master the art of being appropriate, sincere, caring  and accountable. Remember: Since others have similar products/services to yours, your primary product is actually how well and how consistently you reward a customer’s confidence in you.

3.      Build, maintain, and nurture a professional network of colleagues and contacts. This is a gold mine that fills the pipeline for new customers. —Your network provides you with qualified leads. These are folks who want to meet you, and you want to meet them because you have a trusted friend or colleague in common. Even those that don’t sign up with you are willing to refer you to friends and colleagues. These referrals have a 50 to 90% close rate and cost very little! Why does this work so well? Because you are not only talking about your business and how you can solve their problem but you are listening to them about their business and how you can help them with their business issues. Tip: If you don’t have a solid network now start building one by joining your professional organization, a local business group, or a leads group at your Chamber of Commerce.

4.      Know your target market intimately –their characteristics, needs, and habits. Figure out the potential number of total customers and the top 15 – 20 customers or client companies who are likely to buy your product or service. Then, put your marketing and sales efforts squarely in front of those top 15 – 20 customers and begin realizing sales without spreading yourself too thin or spending too much. A key building block for business meetings is a well-prepared 2-minute introduction or presentation that succinctly gets across what you have to offer. Customize your introduction to fit your prospect. Whatever you are selling, benefits are what your customers are buying. What benefits do your customers get from you? Business owners often make the mistake of selling features rather than benefits. In a market where many companies sell similar products or services, the customer wants to know what benefits you offer.
Remember: Use the personal touch. Don't only use email, pick up the telephone or meet in person. It is important to meet your customers personally and build relationships.

5.      One of the easiest things to do is to lower prices, but this does not always make good business sense. If price is your only competitive edge, it is easy for your competitors to lower their prices. However, customers are looking for ways to stretch their dollars and for value. So here are some ideas for offerings that are affordable yet profitable. Give free information that is valuable to your customers. A notebook in a weight loss center to keep track of customer’s progress. It also serves as a marketing tool for your company as it has your business contact information and could also include a coupon for a friend or additional product/service. Offer a limited time offer of a 2 for 1. For example, a massage, spa treatment, personal trainer session, a coaching session, etc. Offer a class that brings current and new customers into your business and is informative and affordable. In this economy, people are more likely to pay $50 for a group class than $150 for a private session. Remember: This is the time to get creative and find new ways to attract and maintain clients.

Susan Urquhart-Brown, owner of Career Steps 123 in Oakland, CA,  is a  Business Success Coach and author of, The Accidental Entrepreneur: 50 Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me About Starting A Business , who has helped hundreds of clients build successful businesses. She is also a former columnist for the SF Chronicle and has recently appeared on The View from the Bay, abcTV san Francisco and The Fanny Keifer Show, Shaw TV, Vancouver, Canada as well as numerous radio shows nationally. www.careersteps123.com

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